2012-09-01

Shimamaki Youthhostel, Shiribeshi sub-prefectural area!

by Alan

I felt de ja vu all the time I hit the road of this hilly coast. Power generators of this kind can be seen along the coast facing Sea of Japan. But, on top of that, this area is called British Coast. Is it the name sake of Cornwall ?

The west coast of Hokkaido has many attractive spot to visit including Shakotan Peninsula. The coast is not filled with the white sand like coral islands but various kinds of beautiful fish is in the sea. And I have seen glaring yellow coral like stars in the night.

After summer vacation of this year, the beach was so calm. I enjoyed swimming only with fins, snorkel and mask on the backside of this cape before sunset. Very small baby fish was near the beach.
And red-snappers were near the reef.

This is the common space on the second floor of the youth hostel we stayed last weekend. One small fridge is at the corner and two sofas that can be turned to beds of low type are beside the walls. Of course, the ocean view satisfies the guests enough.

This is the room we used. Small but very. I would not like to be the devil's advocate, but each room doesn't have air-conditioner or fan. Just sea breeze cools down our bodies.

I like auberge in the east coast of Canada. This youth hostel is one of our favorite accommodations we visit every year.

This youth hostel has seven rooms on the second floor other than the common space mentioned above, and two rooms on the ground floor other than the common space next to the dining room. Like other pensions and youth hostels, the common space has many books that introduce the life in rural area, mountainous area and on the coast as well as comic books.

Coupons issued by the youth hostels association can be used for payment. This is the reception of this youth hostel. A very kind owner, his wife and their son living in the next house run this accommodation.

The setting sun warmed up this dining room in the evening while the sea breeze and the wind from the mountain stopped.

This stove is from Finland and worth 10,000 US dollars some years ago, the owner said.

In front of the hostel, very nice bench and table can be used but please do not forget insect repellent. Gnats or black flies bite your feet and give damage to the skin for a month. Japanese traditional corrective called "Kinkan" doesn't work for the bite of gnats and black flies albeit it works well for the bite of normal mosquito's.

After washing marine boots, fins, mask and snorkel, putting on the bench, I took shower and bath on the fist floor.
The right corner is the common space the guests can watch the boob tube and read the books.

This hostel was rebuild after the original building was destroyed by Ootsunami when the big earthquake called "Hokkaido Nansei-oki Jishin" which means Hokkaido southwest coast earthquake hit this area terriblly in July of 1993.
All the bulwarks made of ferroconcrete are swamped by the big wave that was thirty meter-tall in the night and pushed to the hillside of the mountains.

The higher bulwarks were built again along the coast after the earthquake and ootsunami but they may not work if the earthquake and big waves of the same scale as the ones that devastated the east coast of Japan.
I counted dead bodies after the earthquake and ootsunami attacked the southwest coast of Hokkaido in Esashi Town, Hiyama sub-prefectural area in cooperation with the local police office. The ootsunami annihilated some communities of Okushiri Island offshore

of the west coast.
Remembering the tough situation, I cross my fingers and toes for the people in this area. We can rebuild this country again !
the owners house is on the right of the hostel connected by breezeway.
An astronomical telescope is in the dining room. Star-watching is another big draw of this hostel. Have a nice weekend!

About Me

This English blog was established by a lady born in the town that contains the community of the indigenous people, Ainu in Hokkaido and was handed down the management to Sorachi Sub-prefectural Office of Hokkaido Government.The e-mail address is the namesake of her first name Chiseko given by her father and the name of the sub-prefectural area Sorachi and the division handling this English blog Chisei-ka.Her name Chiseko is the namesake of the word of "Chise" which means
house" in Ainu language, by way of parenthesis.